The Prophecy
I almost forgot! The Pokemon World Championships of 2011 were last weekend. Things have been really busy at HH, so I haven't had a chance to write.
Gabs and I got there on Friday, taking a plane ride there. The flight was actually rather agonizing - I was in a sullen mood because a client at HH had just killed herself, leaving a two year old alone in an apartment building with no food or water, an unchanged diaper, and a dead body for two straight days. The kid was not only severely fatigued but also traumatized in just about every way imaginable. This was also the same week I had to stop a fight between two of my clients, and decide which started it for the sake of write-ups and non-compliance forms. So when Gabs started her "I'm scared I won't do very well because I suck and that sucks" rant that had become the theme of this year, I was too far gone to really comfort her like a good boyfriend. After a certain point, I snapped at her, telling her to get over herself and that there are far worse things in life than not being the absolute best at a hobby. This snowballed into all sorts of arguments, and almost led to us not speaking the whole plane ride there had it not been for a stranger noticing us. Someone acknowledged we were a couple, then offered to trade seats with me so that we could sit together. Once we were forced to do so, we eventually made up.
I stayed in a hotel room with Justin, a Duck named Luke, and Gabs. Luke was a nice kid I met back in 2009, when I placed top 8 in Nashville, and of course Justin is an old friend from middle school/every year until I left Michigan. Getting him to come out to see me for the first time in a year practically cost an arm and a leg's worth of effort, though he seemed really disengaged with everything even still.
Going into the Last Chance Qualifier tournament, I was in a pretty bummy mood. I had spent a good portion of the summer trying to get him to pick up the game - or at least see me - and he wasn't really giving it his all. Gabby was one more loss away from another breakdown, and Ducks were repeatedly telling me it was a poor choice to put up Luke because he's a terrible drunk. But I powered onwards, helping everyone prepare for their teams. Suleski came by eventually, and I couldn't have been more grateful for a chance to turn my brain off for a bit. I helped him with a few items, then we all started.
I actually lost round one, however. In my frustrations and stress, combined with trying to distract myself by making everyone else's teams for them, I had forgotten to finish my own. This boiled down to me losing a battle I could have otherwise easily won, due to the simple fact that I lacked any good moves on my final pokemon, Stoutland. Against his Musharna at half health, I would have otherwise had it in the bag. Justin also lost first round. Suleski and Gabs, however, got past round one seemingly very easily.
I watched Gabs the whole time during her next match. She always lamented how she could never last past a second round (she, unlike the rest of us, had never played in a Nationals before), so I watched eagerly to see if today would be the day she at least got past her usual slump. If not, I feared the emotional wreck she'd be. Suleski, on the other side of the tournament arena, was also fighting through a slump this year. Going 2-5 in Nats, this was the second year in a row he did not qualify for Worlds, despite being the US Champion in 2009. For his birthday, I had wrote a song about him and posted it on YouTube with Gabby (here) which predicted that he'd break through his slump and get back into Worlds. Okay, so maybe it was a stretch to say I watched Gabby the whole time - I was really pulling for Suleski too. Between wanting the song to come true and really needing a pickmeup, I wanted him to do well.
Gabby and Suleski both passed their next rounds, and the round after that, and the round after that. They both just kept going, all the way up to the final rounds of the Last Chance Qualifier. Gabby was estatic - each round she was just grateful to get past round two, and so her next win just added to an already high peak of joy. Suleski, in his final round, received a bye due to a few holes in the brackets, and he was shot straight into Worlds. Luke, against all odds, also made it through, so there was much celebrating to be had. Gabby, sadly, lost to a well-known name (Sixonesix), but she placed 12th in the LCQ out of 512, so she was still very proud.
This next part will sound really odd, but despite not being terribly religious in previous years, when Gabby had her last match I actually prayed for her. I begged God to let her into Worlds that match, making all sorts of ridiculous bargains. The highest one I offered the Big Cheese was that I'd sacrifice me ever qualifying for Worlds if she got in that day, since I know it how much it meant for her to get out of her slump. Weirdly enough, it almost felt like I heard a voice back. I was a little put off, because the voice started with a "No." But I heard more - it felt sort of like there was a voice telling me "It's too late for that." Is there some sort of grand plan for me to eventually compete in the World Championships? It feels weird to believe this when I lately haven't been much to celebrate any beliefs religiously - but the fact that I'm so sure of what I heard makes this stand out from a lot of agnostic bumbling. But before I could decide for myself whether that was a sign of future success or not, Gabby lost. But she was happy, so I decided to shrug off the prayer attempt and move on.
The next day, Gabby and I watched the actual World Championships from the crowd - and let me just say, having never been to one before, it blew Bryant Park right out of the water. There was a live band composed of game music composer on keyboard, anime music composer on drums, and movie music composer on bass, with the lead singer being a famous J-pop icon (whose name I don't remember because I actually don't care a lot about J-pop). Nick McCord tore up the scenes, getting the crowd plenty riled up and only stopping to sneak Gabby and me a few surprises from backstage. Taking the year off playing "seriously" and spending my time networking/making friends every tournament really paid off; Nick snuck off with four Worlds staff shirts, giving them to Gabby and me! I gave the other two to Luke and Justin, as thanks for hanging out with us the whole time.
Gabby and I entered a few side tournaments, with Gabby winning one and me placing in the semi-finals of two of them. We ran off with a stash of TCG cards, DS skins and other small prizes, and I got another t-shirt. Overall, a good haul.
At some point, we had a long talk about her stress. Her parents are very strict on her (not surprising, as she works for Google), and deem anything that isn't rolling in success a useless hobby. Her constant losses in the game have convinced her parents that she's just "obsessed," and that this is getting in the way of her career. If she were good, that would at least give her something to show for the hours spent on this game, she reasoned. And so, making it past the second round would at least instill her with something to tell her parents. Some statement of progress that shows that her time is spent producing something. I guess I can get behind that - I still remember being a child and having the word "obsessed" thrown around a lot. During our less fortunate times growing up, anything that was stopping us from breaking even and making it was an obsession. When I was really little, I just couldn't understand how it was so wrong to just do what makes me happy, when I wasn't hurting anyone in doing so. Not that Gabby is a small child, but you know.
Suleski went on to get 10th place in Worlds. Luke got 19th. Danny got 22nd. Ray, the defending champ, beat Italy's Matteo Gini, becoming the FIRST EVER pokemon master to win two consecutive World Championships. Additionally, this made the second year in a row that Japan didn't win (also sort of historic), and it made the first year Europe was anywhere in the final bracket. All in all, it was pretty exciting to watch.
Not bad for my first experience seeing Worlds.
-Didroy
Gabs and I got there on Friday, taking a plane ride there. The flight was actually rather agonizing - I was in a sullen mood because a client at HH had just killed herself, leaving a two year old alone in an apartment building with no food or water, an unchanged diaper, and a dead body for two straight days. The kid was not only severely fatigued but also traumatized in just about every way imaginable. This was also the same week I had to stop a fight between two of my clients, and decide which started it for the sake of write-ups and non-compliance forms. So when Gabs started her "I'm scared I won't do very well because I suck and that sucks" rant that had become the theme of this year, I was too far gone to really comfort her like a good boyfriend. After a certain point, I snapped at her, telling her to get over herself and that there are far worse things in life than not being the absolute best at a hobby. This snowballed into all sorts of arguments, and almost led to us not speaking the whole plane ride there had it not been for a stranger noticing us. Someone acknowledged we were a couple, then offered to trade seats with me so that we could sit together. Once we were forced to do so, we eventually made up.
I stayed in a hotel room with Justin, a Duck named Luke, and Gabs. Luke was a nice kid I met back in 2009, when I placed top 8 in Nashville, and of course Justin is an old friend from middle school/every year until I left Michigan. Getting him to come out to see me for the first time in a year practically cost an arm and a leg's worth of effort, though he seemed really disengaged with everything even still.
Going into the Last Chance Qualifier tournament, I was in a pretty bummy mood. I had spent a good portion of the summer trying to get him to pick up the game - or at least see me - and he wasn't really giving it his all. Gabby was one more loss away from another breakdown, and Ducks were repeatedly telling me it was a poor choice to put up Luke because he's a terrible drunk. But I powered onwards, helping everyone prepare for their teams. Suleski came by eventually, and I couldn't have been more grateful for a chance to turn my brain off for a bit. I helped him with a few items, then we all started.
I actually lost round one, however. In my frustrations and stress, combined with trying to distract myself by making everyone else's teams for them, I had forgotten to finish my own. This boiled down to me losing a battle I could have otherwise easily won, due to the simple fact that I lacked any good moves on my final pokemon, Stoutland. Against his Musharna at half health, I would have otherwise had it in the bag. Justin also lost first round. Suleski and Gabs, however, got past round one seemingly very easily.
I watched Gabs the whole time during her next match. She always lamented how she could never last past a second round (she, unlike the rest of us, had never played in a Nationals before), so I watched eagerly to see if today would be the day she at least got past her usual slump. If not, I feared the emotional wreck she'd be. Suleski, on the other side of the tournament arena, was also fighting through a slump this year. Going 2-5 in Nats, this was the second year in a row he did not qualify for Worlds, despite being the US Champion in 2009. For his birthday, I had wrote a song about him and posted it on YouTube with Gabby (here) which predicted that he'd break through his slump and get back into Worlds. Okay, so maybe it was a stretch to say I watched Gabby the whole time - I was really pulling for Suleski too. Between wanting the song to come true and really needing a pickmeup, I wanted him to do well.
Gabby and Suleski both passed their next rounds, and the round after that, and the round after that. They both just kept going, all the way up to the final rounds of the Last Chance Qualifier. Gabby was estatic - each round she was just grateful to get past round two, and so her next win just added to an already high peak of joy. Suleski, in his final round, received a bye due to a few holes in the brackets, and he was shot straight into Worlds. Luke, against all odds, also made it through, so there was much celebrating to be had. Gabby, sadly, lost to a well-known name (Sixonesix), but she placed 12th in the LCQ out of 512, so she was still very proud.
This next part will sound really odd, but despite not being terribly religious in previous years, when Gabby had her last match I actually prayed for her. I begged God to let her into Worlds that match, making all sorts of ridiculous bargains. The highest one I offered the Big Cheese was that I'd sacrifice me ever qualifying for Worlds if she got in that day, since I know it how much it meant for her to get out of her slump. Weirdly enough, it almost felt like I heard a voice back. I was a little put off, because the voice started with a "No." But I heard more - it felt sort of like there was a voice telling me "It's too late for that." Is there some sort of grand plan for me to eventually compete in the World Championships? It feels weird to believe this when I lately haven't been much to celebrate any beliefs religiously - but the fact that I'm so sure of what I heard makes this stand out from a lot of agnostic bumbling. But before I could decide for myself whether that was a sign of future success or not, Gabby lost. But she was happy, so I decided to shrug off the prayer attempt and move on.
The next day, Gabby and I watched the actual World Championships from the crowd - and let me just say, having never been to one before, it blew Bryant Park right out of the water. There was a live band composed of game music composer on keyboard, anime music composer on drums, and movie music composer on bass, with the lead singer being a famous J-pop icon (whose name I don't remember because I actually don't care a lot about J-pop). Nick McCord tore up the scenes, getting the crowd plenty riled up and only stopping to sneak Gabby and me a few surprises from backstage. Taking the year off playing "seriously" and spending my time networking/making friends every tournament really paid off; Nick snuck off with four Worlds staff shirts, giving them to Gabby and me! I gave the other two to Luke and Justin, as thanks for hanging out with us the whole time.
Gabby and I entered a few side tournaments, with Gabby winning one and me placing in the semi-finals of two of them. We ran off with a stash of TCG cards, DS skins and other small prizes, and I got another t-shirt. Overall, a good haul.
At some point, we had a long talk about her stress. Her parents are very strict on her (not surprising, as she works for Google), and deem anything that isn't rolling in success a useless hobby. Her constant losses in the game have convinced her parents that she's just "obsessed," and that this is getting in the way of her career. If she were good, that would at least give her something to show for the hours spent on this game, she reasoned. And so, making it past the second round would at least instill her with something to tell her parents. Some statement of progress that shows that her time is spent producing something. I guess I can get behind that - I still remember being a child and having the word "obsessed" thrown around a lot. During our less fortunate times growing up, anything that was stopping us from breaking even and making it was an obsession. When I was really little, I just couldn't understand how it was so wrong to just do what makes me happy, when I wasn't hurting anyone in doing so. Not that Gabby is a small child, but you know.
Suleski went on to get 10th place in Worlds. Luke got 19th. Danny got 22nd. Ray, the defending champ, beat Italy's Matteo Gini, becoming the FIRST EVER pokemon master to win two consecutive World Championships. Additionally, this made the second year in a row that Japan didn't win (also sort of historic), and it made the first year Europe was anywhere in the final bracket. All in all, it was pretty exciting to watch.
Not bad for my first experience seeing Worlds.
-Didroy